Chapter Text
Severus Snape was of the opinion that everyone found at least one thing to hate about their physical appearance, regardless of how modest they claimed to be. Given his life experience, it seemed only natural to hold this belief. The taunts of the marauders were just as vivid as they had been when they were first uttered, and he was not unaware of the less than flattering monikers students had bestowed on him over the years.
In his mind, they were all deserved.
He could not blame anyone for being unimpressed with his appearance. His chest was scarred from the multiple beatings Voldemort seemed so fond of giving out. His neck had a pale scar left by Nagini's bite, though he was able to hide that easy enough with a high collared shirt. Then there was his hair, thin and greasy, not due entirely to potions. He'd given up on trying making it look presentable years ago. Still, this wasn't his biggest complaint about his appearance. No, the biggest one was the hardest to miss.
His nose.
How he hated his nose! It was naturally larger and longer than anyone else's. The fact that it had been repeatedly broken over the years only exacerbated the problem. Each time he had been able to heal it, but each time it had grown back more misshapen and larger than before. His nose had become a symbol of everything that had gone wrong in his life, everything about him that was ugly. If he could ever fix his nose, perhaps he had a chance of landing a date.
Snape scowled as he looked in the mirror. If he had the choice, he wouldn't be looking into the mirror at all. He would just brush his hair and march up to the great dining hall. Headmistress McGonagall though had made it clear that he was to make himself look presentable for the newest Transfiguration professor. He didn't see why. Whoever it was would only despise him within two weeks. The effort to look good would be wasted. Still, he had enough respect for the Headmaster to try to appear presentable for her latest protégé.
He brushed his hair until it appeared somewhat presentable. Maybe this day wasn't going to be a complete waste.
His attention was drawn to his nose again. Sighing, he decided that he was finished with his morning routine. He put on his best black overcoat over his good robes and stormed out.
As he approached the dining hall, he heard laughter and loud voices. He tried to make his face appear as emotionless as possible, but he could feel his mouth twitching into a scowl.
Minerva looked down from her discussion with Professor Longbottom and smiled. "I'm glad that you've decided to join us, Severus.”
"It's not like I had a choice," he grumbled as he took his usual seat to the right of her. Instantly, a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and pancakes appeared.
"Yes, well you look as if you’ve made an effort to impress your newest coworker," the Headmistress replied.
"Is your Transfiguration professor here or is she already developing the nasty habit of tardiness?”
“I am sure she will be here within the next few minutes.”
She huh. Yep, give her a couple of days and she'd hate him. This morning was already a complete waste of time.
“Stop scowling.”
"I'm not scowling," he muttered as he began to cut his pancakes. "I'm thinking."
"Well try to think more pleasant thoughts."
Snape rolled his eyes and looked back down at his plate.
"Sorry I'm late!"